ND's SANDERS TO PLAY SOCCDR AT VALPARAISO

Notre Dame senior Oliver Sanders is taking his soccer gig to the NCAA Division I level.

Sanders recently signed a letter of intent to play soccer at Valparaiso University.

"I'm really excited to be playing Division I," said Sanders. "I looked at a lot of Division II schools. Division I is a lot more competitive and that's where I wanted to be playing."

Sanders, a center midfielder, is Notre Dame's all-time leader in career assists (39) and assists in a season (21 in 1999). He scored 36 career goals.

Notre Dame coach Brad Wittenborn said Sanders is "overall, probably the best soccer player we've ever had.

"He reads plays very, very well. If I had to pick his best virtue as a soccer player, it's his feel for the game. He's always in the right place at the right time. He knows where a player wants to go before they know. He's one of those players who makes everyone around him a lot better."

Sanders was a four-year letterman for the Bulldogs. He also plays on one of the top soccer clubs in St. Louis and competed on the state Olympic development team this past summer.

"My club team in St. Louis goes all over the country and the scouts really get out there," Sanders said, adding that he makes three trips to St. Louis a week -- two for practices and one for a game.

It has been a lot of work and very time consuming, but "it sure has paid off," Sanders said.

Valparaiso was one of five Division I schools that took an interest in Sanders and Wittenborn definitely knows why.

"He's a big, strong kid and does a lot of things well," said Wittenborn. "I don't think we can replace him. It will be the first year since five years ago where we won't have him in the middle of the field. You don't find players with his skill, size, strength and leadership at the high school level very often."

Valparaiso went just 5-11-1 last year, but plays "some of the best soccer teams in the Midwest," Wittenborn said. "I think it will be a good experience for him."

Soccer aside, Valparaiso is regarded as one of the top educational institutions in the Midwest.

"That's part of the deal," said Wittenborn. "He's very committed to his education and he's taken demanding curriculum here at Notre Dame and has done well despite making all those trips to St. Louis."

"I wanted to play soccer really bad, but I also looked at the quality of education at the school," Sanders said. "I'm probably not going to play soccer after college, so I want to get a good education out of it."